Remapping the Illegitimate Border (Countering the Legacy of the War of 1812 and the Treaty of Ghent), an installation piece by artist Dylan Miner in collaboration with Indigenous and Latino Youth of Waawayeyaattanong, the Autonomous Windsor-Detroit Borderlands, at the Art Gallery of Windsor during the Border Cultures: Part One (homes, land) exhibition. (Photo: Frank Piccolo)

Itah Sadu from A Different Booklist, an independent bookstore and literary cultural destination in Toronto, receives the 2016 Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts (Arts Organization Award). (Photo: Sonia Cacoilo)

Michael Choo

Peter Meyler

A Profile of the Cultural and Heritage Activities of Canadians in 2005

March 1, 2007

Canadians continue to support cultural activities

More Canadians read a book than go to a movie

Art galleries are increasingly popular with Canadians

Classical music audiences increased slightly

Most other cultural and heritage activities, including the performing arts, attracted roughly the same percentage of Canadians in 2005 as in 1992

A Profile of the Cultural and Heritage Activities of Canadians in 2005 , the 18th report in the Statistical Insights on the Arts series from Hill Strategies Research, provides insights into the number and percentage of Canadians 15 or older who, in 2005:

Attended live performances;

Visited art galleries and other museums;

Visited historic sites and other heritage organizations;

Read a newspaper, magazine or book;

Watched movies or videos; or

Listened to recorded music.

Where comparable data is available, trends in cultural and heritage activities between 1992 and 2005 are also highlighted.

The data is drawn from Statistics Canada’s General Social Surveys of 1992, 1998 and 2005, in-depth telephone surveys of about 10,000 Canadians 15 years of age or older. Individuals are counted only once in each activity regardless of how many times they participated in the activity. In addition to this text summary of the key findings in the report, the table at the end of the summary provides some key statistics regarding the cultural and heritage activities of Canadians in 2005.

Subsequent reports in the Statistical Insights on the Arts series will examine provincial data and factors in cultural participation.

For more than 50 years, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) has played a vital role in promoting and assisting the development of the arts for the enjoyment and benefit of Ontarians. In 2016-17, OAC funded 1,657 individual artists and 1,098 organizations in 212 communities across Ontario for a total of $50.8 million.